Rayon, played by Jared Leto, is a fellow patient who goes into the buyers' club business with Woodroof.

Anne Marie Fox
/ Focus Features

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Originally published on November 1, 2013 5:49 pm

Texas good ol' boy Ron Woodroof was a player — drugs, alcohol, women, gambling. As Dallas Buyers Club starts, he's at a rodeo, snorting cocaine, with a fistful of bets, when he gets it on with two prostitutes. Not a "healthy" lifestyle — one that's left him gaunt, weak, coughing.

With the advantage of hindsight, what's ailing him seems obvious now. Back in 1986, it didn't, until doctors did a blood test and told him he had 30 days to live.

Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) won't accept that. He offers to pay cash for experimental drugs, but until the Food and Drug Administration approves a drug therapy, you can't just buy it — in this country.

So Ron heads south of the border, where he discovers other things the FDA hasn't approved — proteins, vitamins. Realizing folks in the U.S. are desperate, the hustler in him starts hustling. He fills the trunk of his car with pills to bring back, again and again — far too many for his own use, which is something the border agents start to notice.

Turns out importing drugs for sale is a federal offense. But early AIDS activists came up with a workaround: a club. Pay a monthly membership fee and get "free" drugs. Woodroof's club soon has people lining up, which alarms the medical establishment, including a doctor (Jennifer Garner) who'd caught his eye when he was diagnosed.

McConaughey's flirty drawl and rowdy energy have never been put to better dramatic use than they are in Dallas Buyers Club. His commitment to playing this jerk — and in the movie he is a jerk, if a seductive one — is almost scary. McConaughey lost 38 pounds to look properly emaciated. Jared Leto did much the same to play Rayon, a woman who wasn't born a woman, and who's not cowed by Woodroof's homophobia.

The filmmakers know they're pushing buttons in an era when stories about gay people, Big Pharma and big government all resonate differently than they did in 1986. And they do not try to outfit their story with false uplift, or make it about a community coming together.

Dallas Buyers Club is just about a selfish boor who arguably gets a pass in terms of posterity, because while looking out for No. 1, he paved the way for change for everyone else. (Recommended)

Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel. In the new movie "Dallas Buyers Club," actor Matthew McConaughey plays Ron Woodroof, an unlikely AIDS activist. It's based on a true story. In the 1980s, Woodroof fought the medical establishment over a drug approval process that he thought was too cautious and amounted to a death sentence for people with AIDS.

In a moment, NPR's Elizabeth Blair has more on the real Ron Woodroof, but first, Bob Mondello reviews the movie.

BOB MONDELLO, BYLINE: Texas good ol' boy Ron Woodroof is a player: drugs, alcohol, women, gambling. As the film starts, he's at a rodeo, snorting cocaine, with a fistful of bets, as he gets it on with two prostitutes, not a healthy lifestyle, one that's left him gaunt, weak, coughing.

With hindsight, what's ailing him seems obvious now. Back in 1986, it didn't, until doctors did a blood test.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "DALLAS BUYERS CLUB")

MONDELLO: Ron Woodroof won't accept that. He offers to pay cash for experimental drugs, but until the Food and Drug Administration approves a drug therapy, you can't just buy it in this country. So he heads south of the border and discovers other things the FDA hasn't approved: proteins, vitamins. Realizing folks in the U.S. are desperate, the hustler in him starts hustling.

He fills the trunk of his car with pills to bring back, again and again, far too many for his own use, as border agents start to notice.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "DALLAS BUYERS CLUB")

MONDELLO: Now importing drugs for sale is a federal offense. But the AIDS community came up with a workaround: a club. Pay a monthly membership fee and get free drugs. Woodroof's club soon has people lining up, which alarms the medical establishment, including a doctor who'd caught his eye when he was diagnosed.

MONDELLO: Matthew McConaughey's flirty drawl and rowdy persona have never been put to better dramatic use than they are in "Dallas Buyers Club." His commitment to playing this jerk - and in the movie he is a jerk, though a seductive one - is almost scary. McConaughey lost 38 pounds to look properly emaciated. And Jared Leto did much the same to play a woman who wasn't born a woman, and who's not cowed by Woodroof's homophobia.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "DALLAS BUYERS CLUB")

MONDELLO: The filmmakers know they're pushing buttons in an era when gays, big pharma and big government all resonate differently than they did in 1986. And they do not try to outfit their story with false uplift or make it about a community coming together. "Dallas Buyers Club" is just about a selfish boor who arguably deserves a pass from posterity because while looking out for number one, he paved the way for change for everyone else. I'm Bob Mondello. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.